Depending On Love
by Darke-Angyl
Summary: Both of them come from similar backgrounds, neither of them knowing who they can trust. Both of them have secrets they want to keep, but they soon learn they need to depend on each other if they have any hope of being happy. - This is a joint writing effort. Thank you to my best friend, Cass, for all of her help with this story. She's writing at least half of it. {Grins}
1. Chapter 1

Alyssa Wynters growled, a sound loud enough to rattle the mirror that rested on top of the dresser in her room within Thorn's castle inside of Azmodea. She had been left alone... again. She was hungrier than she could ever remember being, and that was saying a lot considering that she had lived on the streets most of her life.

Alyssa punched the window in her room, frustrated. She felt so strange with all these new powers surging through her. They were different from the ones she had been dealing with when Lamashtu was possessing her. They were hers, and she had no idea how to control them. To make matters worse, there wasn't a voice... in or out of her head... to help her learn.

Alyssa jumped back in shock when the window shattered. Thorn had explained to her that no one could come and go within the walls of his castle without his permission. She had expected the windows to be shatter proof. A small smile broke across her face as she realized she had been one of the few beings Thorn had trusted. She could come and go as she pleased, and no one could stop her.

Alyssa wasn't sure how to use any of her powers, but something told her she could travel if she really wanted to. She wanted to go home... home to the streets of Baton Rouge. It was the one place in the world that she knew, and now that she had powers she felt confident that she could defend herself against the ones who had attacked her before. Unfortunately, none of the places she had frequented wanted to come to her mind. She sighed and decided to focus... closing her eyes... on the picture hanging on the wall in the hallway outside of her room. It was of New Orleans, and she was confident that she would be able to find her way home from there. It was a better starting point, anyway.

The silence of the castle was broken by the sudden sounds of a bustling city. Alyssa opened her eyes and grinned. She had actually managed to do one of the things she wanted to do with her new powers. She was back among humans.

The hunger Alyssa had been feeling for a while intensified in a sudden wave of pain that knocked her to her knees. Her new fangs poked into her bottom lip as she doubled over, her arms wrapped around her body. She let out an inhuman scream as her vision went hazy, forcing herself to her feet. There was an enticing smell in the air that she could not resist. She made her way out of the alley she arrived in and into the street that was full of people... people that she was feeling an irresistible urge to kill.

IN ANOTHER PLACE

Jaiden sat on the floor in the corner of his room. He was naked, in pain, and felt really sick... sick of life... sick of the things that his parents put him through. But most of all, he was sick of the nightmares that had haunted him every night since he was a small child. "I want to die," he whispered, pulling his knees to his chest and starting to cry.

As Jaiden cried, he heard shouting coming from downstairs. He recognized one voice immediately as his father. The others were unfamiliar. He wiped his tears away and slowly moved into a crouch, trying to listen. The voices downstairs intensified as he made his way slowly over to the door and pressed his ear against the cold, dark, mahogany wood.

"What do you mean?! He is MY child, and I can do whatever the fuck I WANT with him!" The voice of Jaiden's father carried upstairs.

Jaiden shivered as another male voice yelled right back.

"He is only sixteen years old! It's illegal to do what you are doing to him!"

Jaiden blanched as he realized the other man was probably a police officer who would only know half of what his parents had put him through. "He won't be able to do anything," he whispered as he heard the crashing sound of breaking glass from down below.

"That's it!" the second voice shouted. "Mr. Dracule, you are under arrest for assaulting a police office and prostituting a minor."

Jaiden's eyes went wide as he heard those words. He fell back on the floor in shock, whispering to himself, "Is it really happening?" He carefully moved back to the door and opened it, just a crack, and peer out. He could see two police officers leading his parents out of the front door in handcuffs and a third making his way up the stairs toward his room.

Jaiden panicked and scrambled away from the door. He hurried over to the closet and shut the door, watching through the old fashioned keyhole that was under the handle.

The officer walked in and gasped in disgust and horror. He turned and called back out the door. "Caleb, get up here now!"

Another officer entered the room, and Jaiden recognized him as one of the men he had serviced only two days before. Caleb shook his head. "Sad, isn't it. I told you this guy is sick, Jethro. That poor kid is emaciated and pale as a sheet." He looked around. "Is he not in here?"

Jethro shook his head. "No, and this is the only room up here, correct?"

Caleb nodded. "He has to be in here somewhere." He began to look around. "Hey, Jaiden! Where are you?"

Jaiden's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't even known that the man knew his name, let alone that he was up here. He grimaced as he felt his stomach growl, cursing under his breath as both officers turned toward him.

"Did you hear that, Caleb?" Jethro asked.

"Yeah," Caleb responded. He took a step closer to the closet Jaiden was hiding in. "Jaiden? Is that you? It's okay, buddy. We're here to help you."

Jaiden rolled his eyes, not believing that for a moment. He doubled over in pain as his stomach growled louder. 'Damn it,' he thought. 'Just go away!'

Caleb walked over to the closet and grabbed the doorknob, opening the door.

Jaiden gasped as he looked up into the familiar face. "No! Leave me alone!" he yelled as Caleb jumped back a little at his tone.

"Jaiden, what's wrong?" Caleb asked, crouching down to the teenager's level. "Are you hurt?"

"No!" Jaiden shouted in response, the pain intensifying as Jethro joined them.

"Is he all right, Caleb?" Jethro inquired.

"I don't think so," Caleb responded. "We need a paramedic to make sure."

Jaiden realized what they were saying and curled up into a ball. "No," he moaned. "I don't need a doctor!" He started to sob. "Just leave me alone!"

"It's okay," Caleb assured him. "We just want to make sure you aren't hurt." He smiled sadly and gently took Jaiden's arm and pulled him from the closet, gasping at the sight of him.

Jethro scowled. "Oh, my god! What the fuck have they done to you?"

"Damn, Jaiden," Caleb said quietly. "These are new scars in the making." He sighed as Jaiden started sobbing harder. "Let's get you into some clothes."

Jaiden started struggling, feeling very self conscious. "No. Just let me go!" He screamed as Caleb stood up and scooped him into his arms after helping him into some clothes against his protests.

"It's okay, Jaiden," Caleb said, carrying the teenager downstairs to where a paramedic was waiting. "We are going to take you some place better. I promise."

"Is he hurt?" the young paramedic asked as Caleb brought Jaiden over.

Caleb saw that the injuries were already scarring and sighed. "Not that I can see, but he is really scared."

Jaiden struggled, feeling extremely weak. "Please," he begged them. "Just let me go."

Both of them ignored Jaiden as the paramedic nodded for Caleb to carry him to the ambulance that was waiting outside.

Before they had gotten him laid down on the stretcher inside the ambulance and covered up, Jaiden's vision faded. He passed out with only one thought on his mind, 'I wanna die.'.

Jaiden woke up in a small, dark, room. No one was around, and he had no idea how much time had passed. He slowly sat up and stiffened as he realized that he was not in a hospital. He was laying on a bed in an ordinary looking bedroom. He blinked a couple of times, looking down to find that someone had dressed him in a plain black t-shirt with black sweatpants. "Where am I?" he whispered, looking toward the door as a young, beautiful, woman entered the room with a scowl on her face.

"Oh, good!" the woman spoke with a slight growl. "I didn't want to have to wake your ass up."

Jaiden blinked rapidly as the young woman looked him over. "Who are you?" he asked.

The woman snorted. "The name is Xirena, and I already know your name is Jaiden. I'll go tell your mom that you are awake." She left in a hurry.

"What the..." Before Jaiden could finish his thought, another woman entered the room.

The new woman was tall, with flowing white hair and swirling silver eyes. As she looked at Jaiden, those strange eyes softened. "Oh, baby!" she exclaimed. "You are all right!" She sat down on the edge of the bed he was on and smiled, pulling him into her arms.

Jaiden flinched at the contract.

The woman let go immediately. "I am sorry, m'gios. I forgot."

Jaiden blinked, shocked. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled sadly. "Jaiden, my name is Apollymi," she explained. "I am your mother. I had to give you up as a baby in order to protect you, but I am sorry to say it didn't work. Now, I am going to send you to your brother in Katoteros. That way I know you will be safe." She nodded, confirming her words.

Jaiden grimaced. "You mean I was with those monsters all of this time, and I wasn't even theirs?!"

Apollymi nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't want you to be hurt. Unfortunately, I failed to foresee that you have the same curse as your brother. Do not worry. That is over now. I am having Xirena take you to Katoteros to Acheron. Your older brother can protect you so much better than we can here." She quickly stood up, leaving Jaiden alone with Xirena who had returned just after Apollymi had stood.

Xirena growled. "You ready? I kind of want to get out of this hell hole."

Jaiden nodded and stood up, walking a little closer to Xirena.

Xirena rolled her eyes and flashed over to Jaiden's side, grabbing his hand and flashing both of them into the throne room of Katoteros. She sighed. "Ash isn't here right now so stay in this room until he gets here." She flashed out and left him alone.

Jaiden sighed and sat down on the floor as a wave of exhaustion hit him. He passed out again, not sure if he even wanted to wake up this time yet still wondering what his brother was like.

BACK IN NEW ORLEANS

Alyssa's eyes flashed red as she walked through the shadows, next to the crowds of people passing by yet not a part of them. The thirst was making it very hard for her to think, to concentrate. She felt like she was literally burning from the inside out.

Unable to stand it any longer, Alyssa screamed at the top of her lungs, the sound carrying through the streets of New Orleans and sending several people ducking for cover. She flashed herself into the center of the crowd she was beside, grabbed the first person her arms wrapped around, and flashed back out. It was all over within ten seconds, leaving those closest to where they had been wondering if they had really seen anything at all.

The man struggled, twisting in the surprisingly iron grip of the teenager. "Let me go!" he shouted sternly, trying to mask his fright. "Don't you know it's rude to grab someone like this?" He shoved against her chest, expecting to knock her grip around him loose.

Alyssa growled, a feral sound from deep within, flashing her fangs at the man as she shoved him against the wall of the building in the back of the alley. Before he could make another sound, she leaned forward and sank her fangs deep into the side of his neck. She moaned as his blood started running down her throat, soothing the burning sensation that had been plaguing her. The painful knot in her stomach immediately began to ease up as she drank.

The man tried to scream, but the sound came out as more of a gurgle. He shoved against the girl's chest, but he was already too weak. He realized as his vision blurred that she probably didn't even feel his futile efforts to get free.

Alyssa smiled, licking her lips as she pulled away from the man. His body fell at her feet before she turned and calmly walked back toward the street, looking and feeling more human than she had in quite a while. Her elation was short lived as she realized she was back among humans, but nothing had changed. She still had no money, no means of supporting herself.

Alyssa sighed, the man's blood still warm in her veins as she reminded herself that she had always survived on her own. Now wouldn't be any different than any other time in her life. With a determined stride, she walked several blocks away from where she had left the man's body and found a somewhat decent looking alley to call home.


	2. Chapter 2

IN KATOTEROS

When Jaiden woke up, he had no recollection of how much time had passed or where he was. He sat up, looking down at his body and rolling his eyes as he spotted yet another set of new clothes. "Great. Now who is redressing me?" He scowled and moved some of his unruly, ebony, hair back behind his ear. "You'd think I didn't know how to dress myself. He snorted and climbed out of bed.

Looking around, Jaiden spotted a noted sitting on a desk that was against the wall next to the bed. He walked over and picked it up, reading under his breath, "Jaiden, Sorry that I could not do this in person, but I am a rather busy man. You are free to wander about Katoteros as you wish, on one condition: If Alexion says you are not permitted, don't make a fuss. Just stay out of wherever that is. I will return to Katoteros as soon as possible to meet you in person. - Acheron (your brother) PS: If Alexion does not show his face, don't go past the main room."

Jaiden blinked as his mind tried hard to process the new information that was now exploding through his brain. It appeared as though he wouldn't be meeting his brother for a while, which made him pretty upset, especially since he was being left in the hands of someone he didn't even know. "What have I gotten myself into?" He sighed and ran his fingers through his long black hair, growling. "Shit. So how do I even know what this Alexion character looks like?"

The words had just left Jaiden's mouth when a tall, well built man with blonde hair entered the room. "Oh, good. You're awake. Hello, Jaiden, and welcome to Katoteros. As you have probably already figured out, I am the Alexion."

Jaiden smirked and shook his head. "Sorry not to live up to your expectations, but I didn't know who you were before you told me."

Alexion blinked, completely taken back. "You didn't? Your powers should have kicked in when you saw me."

Jaiden tilted his head. "What powers?"

Alexion staggered back a little. "Fuck!" He turned around and hurried out of the room without saying another word.

Jaiden sat there, blinking, then shook his head. "What a weirdo." He shook his head again before walking out of the room, following Alexion's voice until he found himself standing in a throne room. He watched as Alexion argued with the biggest man Jaiden had ever seen.

The man had to be at least six-foot-five, if not taller, and he had black hair that had a red streak in it. The weirdest part was that the man was wearing mirrored sunglasses, even inside.

Jaiden's face contorted as he watched the two of them arguing, but he gathered his courage after a few minutes and walked over to them.

As Jaiden approached, the large man turned to face him. "What do you need, Jaiden?" he asked, rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses.

Jaiden blinked, frowning. "Are you Acheron?"

The man snorted. "Hey look, Lex. His powers do work after all!"

Alexion shook his head. "Maybe it was just a lucky guess."

The man smiled sarcastically. "Not likely. Maybe he was just being sarcastic, Lex." He laughed.

Alexion rolled his eyes. "Well, he is definitely your brother then."

Jaiden sighed, causing both of them to look at him. "So you are my brother?" he asked.

Acheron's expression hardened. "More like half brothers. We don't have the same bastard for a father. Consider yourself lucky. Mine was a real winner."

Jaiden cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Alexion sighed. "Ash's father tried to kill him while he was still in the womb."

Jaiden's chin dropped as Acheron turned to glare at Alexion. "Yeah. Like I said, a bastard."

"That is horrible!" Jaiden exclaimed, walking a little closer to Acheron.

Acheron snorted, then smirked. "Just be grateful that he's not your old man."

Jaiden smiled sadly. "I know this is a weird question, but do you know who my father is? Mom didn't tell me."

Acheron raised his eyebrows. "Believe me, Jaiden. You are better off not know. I would much rather not know who my father is."

Jaiden did his best to hide his disappointment. "That's okay. I was only curious."

Acheron sighed. "You know what? Jaiden, you would probably be more comfortable with my wife, Tori. I'm sure she would love the company, and it would keep you from getting bored here."

Alarm bells went off in Jaiden's head immediately. "Is she human? Mom said I have the same curse you do. I'm not sure it would be safe to put me with humans."

Acheron winced, and Alexion took in a sharp breath. Taking a deep breath, Acheron asked, "How much of the curse do you have?"

"Well... I don't really know, because I don't know for sure what the curse is," Jaiden replied, smiling sheepishly.

Acheron took another deep breath as Alexion left the room. "When I was your age, Jaiden, all I had to do was walk around with my head uncovered, and people wanted to rape me. Have you had that problem?"

Jaiden gulped hard but shrugged. "No, but that might be because my parents kept me locked away in my room. They'd only let people in if they paid for me."

It was Acheron's turn to be taken back, horrible memories of being a human rushing over him. "You..." He shook his head. "Oh, fuck it! Maybe you should just stay here for a while." He nodded, not waiting for a response as he shivered. He flashed out without another word.

Jaiden smiled a little as he walked back to his room, thinking to himself, 'Good. I just wanna be alone for once in my life.' He climbed into his bed and curled up, falling into a deep sleep. He didn't care if he ever woke up again.

IN NEW ORLEANS

Alyssa woke up with her demonic senses on high alert. She wasn't alone in the alleyway she had spent the night in. She blinked and tried to focus. The sun shining down from directly overhead hurt her sensitive eyes. It was too early for her to be awake. She knew it. Her head snapped up at the sound of approaching voices.

"You better have a damn good reason for getting me up this early, Celt," an animalistic sounding voice grumbled.

Alyssa held her breath, trying not to make a sound. She sensed something unnatural about the two beings she could sense in the alley with her. The only who spoke reminded her of Fang, but he felt different some how.

"I've got a damn good reason, Wolf," another voice responded. "Hold on a minute. You feel that, Fury?"

A low growl, definitely more animal than anything else, echoed through the alley. "There's a demon here," the first voice replied. The voice was a little louder when it next spoke. "You might as well show yourself and get it over with. We're gonna kill you. Now or later is up to you."

Alyssa gasped before she could stop herself. Her senses went into overload. She could feel herself changing, but she had no idea how to stop it. She let out a growl of her own as storm clouds suddenly blotted out the noon day sky. Rain poured down on the three of them. She stood up with her hands clenched at her sides to face the two beings.

"My god!" the second voice exclaimed. He took in the sight of the girl before him. She appeared to be somewhere between sixteen and twenty, he had never been great at judging ages. She had dark hair, and even though her skin was flashing from a normal creamy complexion to a dark red, she appeared more scared than anything. He could feel her terror, and his heart went out to her. "She's not a true demon, Fury," he said to his friend.

Fury growled again. "All I care about right now is the fact that she's about to draw every supernatural being to this alley if she doesn't get herself under control. Can't you do something, Talon? And stop the damn rain already. I hate being soaked."

Talon took a couple of steps closer to the girl, holding his hands out, palms toward her. "I'm not the one causing the storm," he retorted. He calmed his voice as he spoke to the girl. "What's your name? We're not going to hurt you."

"No, you're just going to kill me," Alyssa said vehemently. "I heard his threat." Her voice kept lisping as her fangs lowered and withdrew, and she was having trouble staying on her feet. She needed to feed.

"That was before we knew what you were," Fury spoke up. "Look. Just let us help you."

Alyssa's eyes widened as they flashed to a solid black. "Stay the hell away from me!" As she shouted, a streak of lightning flashed down and struck right between the two beings in front of her, causing them to duck for cover. She used the confusion to flash herself out of the alley and into the building right behind her. She knew it was empty. She huddled in a filthy corner, trembling, as she waited for the two beings outside to leave, trying to get a grip on her changing form.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaiden tossed and turned on the bed, cringing as he curled up tight. He moaned and groaned, suddenly sitting up and gasping for breath. Running his shaking fingers through his hair, he pulled it up into a haphazard ponytail, mumbling, "These nightmares are getting worse." He sighed and slowly climbed off the bed.

As soon as Jaiden's feet hit the floor, there was a knock on the door, followed by a loud voice. "DIN! Akri say you needs to get up!"

Jaiden cringed, replying, "O-Okay! I'll be out in a second."

The words had barely left Jaiden's mouth when the door flew open. A young girl with black hair and dark eyes flew into the room. "Diiiiiin!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Jaiden's neck.

Jaiden staggered back a few steps and grunted as the strange girl squealed in delight. "Who are you? He asked, looking down at her in confusion.

The girl looked up at him, smiling ear to ear. "I'm the Simi, silly. You must be tired. Akri say you be tired." She nodded and removed her arms. "But Akri say you and the Simi go see Tori now, and the Simi just LOVES Tori!"

``Jaiden blinked down at her, as she giggled and began to bounce around excitedly, "So... we are going to see Acheron's mate?"

Simi stopped bouncing, scowling down at him. "Yes, Din! Try to keeps up. Akri don't like no stupid people."

Jaiden shook his head, groaning. "When did he decide this?" He grabbed his head as it started to throb.

Simi put her hands on her hips. "I do not know, Din! Just gets clothes on. You can't go sees Tory like that, Silly."

Jaiden looked down, immediately looking back up at Simi with a red face. "Well, where do I find clothes?"

Simi pointed to the dresser in the corner of the room. "Akri has all kinds of clothes in there for ya, Din Din. Picks what you likes."

Ash Simi talked, Jaiden slowly walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He grabbed a pair of boxers, quickly throwing them on. He avoided looking at Simi, even though he could feel her watching him. "Simi, could you please stop staring at me?" He finally asked, keeping his voice quiet.

Simi tilted her head curiously. "Why, Din? So Simi sees you naked. The Simi don't mind." She giggled. "You is a little smaller than Nicky."

Jaiden turned beet red and looked around in the drawer for something more comfortable to wear. After a moment, he found what he was looking for and sighed. He slid the boxers off, slipping on the jock strap with a smile. He shut the top drawer and opened the second, grabbing a plain navy blue t-shirt and slipping it on.

Simi sighed, bored, as he shut the second drawer. "Din Din, why you switch out of the shorts for that thing?"

Jaiden blinked and spun around. "Huh?"

Simi rolled her eyes. "That thing you wear now. Why did you switch out of those boxers for it?"

Jaiden blushed and turned around to open the third drawer to find pants. He looked through, finally finding a pair of tight black jeans with rips up the front of the legs. "The jock strap is just more comfortable for me, Simi. The boxers make me feel like I have nothing on." He slipped the jeans on as Simi giggled.

"SOOOO... When Din Din wears boxers he feels naked?" She fell back on his bed and laughed, kicking her feet.

Jaiden turned to her. "Why do you find that so funny, Simi?"

Simi sat up and smiled wide. "The Simi has just never heard of that befores, Din Din!"

Jaiden shook his head and pulled his hair out of the ponytail, running his fingers through it to brush it out. "Really? Does everyone usually mind what they say around you?"

Simi nodded rapidly. "Yup! Akri usually makes them. But The Simi doesn't like that. The Simi likes when people be honest."

Jaiden smiled fondly, pulling his hair back up into a tight ponytail. "Where is Ash at the moment?" He walked over and stood in front of the bed.

"In the throne room, waiting for us." Simi giggled. "Din Din, why did you put your hair up like that?"

Jaiden sighed. "It keeps my hair out of my face." He held out his hand toward her. "You ready, Giggles?"

Simi giggled and nodded, taking his hand as he helped her up from the bed. Together, they walked to the throne room where Acheron was waiting for them.

"I knew you'd like those pants," Acheron mused as Simi released Jaiden's hand and ran over to him.

"Akri! Akri! Din Din feels naked in boxers!" Simi giggled as Acheron looked at Jaiden with a raised eyebrow.

"He does, does he?" Acheron asked, watching Simi nod rapidly.

Jaiden blushed, smiling sheepishly at Acheron, not sure what to say as Simi bounced up and down.

"Can we go see the Tory nows, Akri?" Simi asked.

Acheron nodded and pulled Simi into his arms. "Of course, Simi." He looked up at Jaiden. "You ready, little brother?"

Jaiden's chest tightened as he heard Acheron say those words. Even his own parents had refused to call him by any pet names or endearing terms. It was either "Jaiden" or "You". He nodded, shaking off the memories as he walked over to Acheron. "I'm ready."

"Good." Acheron nodded and took Jaiden's hand, flashing them all to an alley between two houses.

Simi giggled as Jaiden blinked against the bright light of the sun. "That was fun, Akri!"

Acheron smiled fondly at her. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." He studied Jaiden. "You all right, brother?"

Jaiden smiled a little at that word and nodded. "Yeah. It's just kind of bright. I'll be fine."

Acheron nodded and started walking to the front of the alley with Simi close behind.

Jaiden followed after them, watching as Acheron walked around the house on the left and up to the front door.

Acheron knocked, smirking at Simi as she bounced excitedly next to him.

As Jaiden stepped out of the shadows of the alley and into the light, he instantly started worrying about someone recognizing him. He wrapped his arms around himself and ducked his head, wishing he had worn a hoodie instead of a t-shirt.

Acheron turned around to face Jaiden. "Are you okay, brother? You look sick."

Jaiden shook his head. "I'll be fine once we get inside."

As the words left Jaiden's mouth, the door opened and Acheron turned around to greet the woman who had opened it. "Hey, baby! How are you?"

Soteria smiled. "Hey, Ash!" She was young, with brunette hair and warm, brown, eyes.

Acheron turned around and so that she could see Jaiden. "Jaiden, this is Soteria. Tory, this is my half brother, Jaiden."

Soteria smiled warmly. "Hi! It's nice to meet you, Jaiden. I've been looking forward to this ever since Ash told me he had a half brother." She stepped over to the side. "Come on in, guys!"

As soon as they walk into the house and Acheron shut the door, Jaiden relaxed. "It's nice to meet you, too, Tory."

Soteria smiled. "You are almost exactly what I pictured, although I have to admit. You two look a lot more alike than most siblings do."

Acheron laughed, and Jaiden blushed slightly. "Do we really, Tory?" Acheron asked. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Jaiden looked away and wondered absentmindedly if he would ever have that kind of a relationship with anyone.

ELSEWHERE IN NEW ORLEANS

Alyssa shivered as she huddled against the wall. She could still sense the two men searching for her. She silently pleaded for them to give up so she could find some dry clothes somewhere and, more importantly, so she could feed. She lost track of the time as she waited, finally deciding to take her chances. She could tell that it was getting close to sundown.

Alyssa flashed herself back into the alley, breathing a sigh of relief when she finds it empty. She reached out with her senses, struggling to breathe, needing to find food. She smiled, her fangs lowering as she sensed a human. She made her way to the end of the alley, watching as a young human female walked down the sidewalk, alone. She grinned, reaching out and grabbing her as she passed by.

The woman started to scream when she was grabbed, but a hand was quickly placed over her mouth so that she couldn't. She kicked her attacker's legs as she was lifted from the sidewalk and carried into the alley, but it seemed to have no effect. She felt the air rush from her lungs as she was slammed up against the side of the building that bordered the alley. Her mouth was finally free, but she had no air to scream. "Please," she begged in a whisper. "I'll give you whatever you want. Just don't hurt me!"

Alyssa laughed, sounding human. She pressed her forearm against the woman's clothes. Her voice had a lisp to it because of her fangs. "I promise it won't hurt." She smiled, lowering her head and sinking her fangs into the woman's neck, drinking deep with a low moan of pleasure.

The woman struggled, pushing fruitlessly against Alyssa's chest, surprised by how strong the young woman was. She didn't understand what was happening, at first, when she felt the pinch in her neck. By the time she realized what was going on, it was too late.

Alyssa laughed softly as the woman's body dropped at her feet. She stripped the woman's dry clothes from her body and put them on in place of the ones that had gotten soaked when she had caused the storm earlier. Feeling better than she had in a long time, Alyssa pushed the woman's naked body into the shadows and left the alley. Her pale cheeks had a nice rosy color to them from the woman's blood as she blended in with the crowds of humans, feeling stronger than ever as the sun began to set.


	4. Chapter 4

Jaiden watched Tory nervously as he listened to her and Acheron planning out the details of Jaiden living with her... such as where he would be sleeping, what personal items he needed to get as soon as possible, what they would do if he went missing for some reason. The list went on and on. Jaiden started to drift off until he heard Tory suddenly speak up in a loud voice.

"Hey! I'm hungry! Anyone else wanna eat?" Tory grinned at the three of them.

Acheron shook his head, chuckling. "You know I don't eat, love, but I am sure Jaiden and Simi are probably hungry." He turned toward them with a grin.

Jaiden quickly shook his head, mouthing 'no', but Simi nodded excitedly. "Of course the Simi is hungry, Akri! The Simi loves to eat!" She starts bouncing excitedly, clapping her hands. "OOO! Let us go to Sanctuary! PLEASE, AKRI!"

Jaiden panicked as he listened to them talk about going out, feeling his gut tighten nervously. He grimaced. Whenever his human parents had mentioned going out, it had meant that they were going out to show him off to potential new clients. It would involve putting him in the tightest clothes possible that showed off more of his body than he liked to show off.

Acheron instantly sensed Jaiden's discomfort as his little brother wrapped his arms around his stomach, his face showing his concern. "Are you okay, Brother? You look ill."

Jaiden shook his head. "No. I don't think I wanna go out there again. You guys go ahead without me." He looked away from them.

Acheron smiled sadly as he realized what the problem was. He walked over and sighed as he took Jaiden's chin in his hand, lifting his little brother's face so that he was looking at him. "Do you want a hooded sweatshirt or something?"

Jaiden nodded slightly, trying not to look hopeful.

Acheron smiled knowing. "Just flash one on, Din. All you have to do is picture what you want and then will it to appear. It will flash into your hand or onto your body, depending on where you send it."

Jaiden looked skeptically down at the tight navy blue shirt he was wearing before closing his eyes and picturing a large black pull-over hoodie. He smiled and started to relax a little when he felt it engulf him. "Thank you, Acheron," he whispered.

Acheron chuckled. "No problem, little brother. Now. Let's go before Simi REALLY gets hungry and decides to eat one of us!"

Jaiden nodded and followed Acheron over to Soteria. He took Soteria's hand, and Simi took her other one as Acheron reached out and took Jaiden's hand. As soon as Jaiden closed his hand around Acheron's, they flashed from the living room and into an alley just outside of the club known as Sanctuary. Jaiden sighed, still feeling uncomfortable as they walked up to the door where are a large man was waiting to greet them.

"Well... look what the bear dragged in. Hey, Ash! What brings you here tonight?" The man smirked knowingly.

Acheron flashed a wicked grin. "Food. Let us in, Dev. Simi's hungry."

Dev looked over at Simi before nodding. "Come on in... just remember the rule."

As the four of them walked inside, Jaiden looked at Acheron and nervously put his hood up. "What's the rule, Acheron?"

Acheron laughed as he answered. "Come in peace, or leave in pieces." He glanced over and spoke telepathically. 'The Peltier Family that owns Sanctuary are Katagaria Were-bears."

Jaiden gulped hard as he looked around, not paying attention to where he was going. Before he realized what was happening, he ran smack into a young woman and successfully knocked both himself and her to the floor in a heap. "Oh, god!" he exclaimed. "I am SO sorry!" He tried to untangle himself from her so that he could help her up. "Are you all right?"

IN THE ALLEY

With the demonic side of her feeling fed and happy, Alyssa found herself wondering if she would be able to pass herself off as a human... at least long enough to find something to eat. The small part of her that was still human was starving. She slowly made her way out of the alley and into the streets, blending in with the crowds until a smell caught her attention. It was the smell of beings similar to herself... ones who were not human, or at least not fully human. She headed for it immediately.

Dev smiled at the teenage human girl as she approached the entrance of Sanctuary. He sensed something different about her, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He stuck his arm out across the door to stop her from going inside. "Can I help you?"

Alyssa looked up at the 'man', barely resisting the urge to sniff him. She licked her lips, lowering her eyes slightly in the way her dad had taught her to get a man to do anything she wanted, hoping it worked as well on other beings as it did on humans. "I'm hungry, and it smells delicious in there. Can't I please go in and get something to eat?" She trailed her fingertips lightly up his muscular arm, circling them around the double bow and arrow tattoo on his bicep. "Please?"

Dev was shocked to find himself shivering with desire. He wanted a human! It wasn't possible. He barely contained his growl of frustration as he moved his arm out of the way and allowed her to step inside. "If I catch you drinking, your ass is busted," he cautioned her.

Alyssa looked back over her shoulder and smirked at him. "I came to eat, not drink." She headed directly for the bar to order some food, but soon found herself wanting to disappear. A blonde 'woman' refused to stop staring at her, and it was making her extremely uncomfortable... especially as she realized that she had no money to pay for anything. Growling under her breath, she turned to hurry from the club and suddenly found herself on her back with someone else on top of her. She tried to untangle herself as the guy apologized, shaking her head. "I'm fine. Just let me get up."


	5. Chapter 5

Jaiden looked down at the beautiful young woman and blinked rapidly. He successfully managed to untangle himself and stand up holding out his hand for her, "I really am sorry. Are you alright?" He tried hard not to blush as he felt every eye in the place on them.

Alyssa ignored the boy's hand, pushing herself to her feet and trying to ignore the gazes she could feel looking in their direction. She could feel the new powers trying to surge to the surface, and having any part of her change in front of a human was the last thing she wanted. She narrowed her eyes up at Acheron, silently asking him to keep his mouth shut about her not being human to the young man he was with, before looking back at the boy. "I'm fine. Thanks." Without another word, she pushed past them and out into the night, hurrying into the alley that ran behind Sanctuary.

Jaiden watched her leave and after a brief moment, ran after her, ignoring Acheron calling for him to leave her alone. He bolted out of Sanctuary and soon found her, "Hey, Wait!" He jogged over.

Alyssa growled softly, calling on every bit of her self-control to keep herself looking as if she was a human as she turned to face the young man. "Aren't there people waiting on you inside? What do you want?"

Jaiden froze, as his mind went blank, then he thought of something, "Are you... Are you hungry? I feel bad for knocking you over and would like to know if you could join us?" He mentally slaps himself, as he waits for her reaction.

Alyssa closed her eyes, clenching her fists as the demon within her snapped and snarled at the idea of doing anything with Acheron Parthenopaeus other than eating him. She could feel her blood literally boiling as she fought for control, praying that her voice sounded normal. "I don't want to intrude on you and your... friends?" She spoke the last part in a questioning tone, wondering what this boy had to do with the god that seemed determined to cause her strife.

Jaiden tried not to let disappointment show on his face, "That's not my friend, that's my big brother and his mate... And Simi." He smiled sadly, "Are you sure you won't join me?" He watched her, praying to anyone listening that she would say yes.

Alyssa's eyes widened, and she spoke before she could stop herself. "You're Acheron Parthenopaeus's little brother?" She mentally cursed herself for being an idiot, and tried to distract him. "I'm sure your girlfriend, Simi, would not appreciate me horning in on your double date." Alyssa takes a deep breath, her eyes burning from the effort of keeping herself human. "You should get back inside before they send out a search party. I've heard Dev can get pretty insistent." She tried to mask her disappointment as she turned to start walking down the alley again.

Jaiden blinked then burst out laughing, "Simi is Acheron's... Daughter." He runs reaches out on instinct and takes her arm, "Please, I am not really hungry, they brought me here and I feel terrible for knocking you over. Please let me repay you?" He watches her, his blue/silver eyes pleading.

Alyssa sighed, doing her best to ignore the demon side of her who wouldn't stop snarling and snapping. She took a deep breath, pulling her arm free from the boy's grip, looking into his eyes. She hesitated. She hadn't known Acheron for very long, but she knew that he didn't trust her and probably did not want her anywhere near his human brother. The idea that someone like Acheron even had a human brother was enough to make her head spin, but she couldn't deny that the boy intrigued her. It had been so long since a human had shown any interest in her. She was very curious about him, and she was surprised to realize that she wanted to get to know him. She slowly nodded her head, letting him know that she would join them, hoping this was not the biggest mistake of her life, wondering how long Acheron would keep her secret... or would he tell his brother immediately that his new acquaintance wasn't human?

Jaiden couldn't help but smile as he gently took the girl's hand and led her back inside, "Thank you." As soon as they got inside everyone starts staring at them, and Jaiden is instantly aware of that. He is also aware of the lustful looks from some of the men, and women alike. He squirms a little as he approaches Acheron, "I found her." He smiles sheepishly, "Is it okay that she joins us?"

Acheron nodded, "Of course, anything you want, Brother."

Jaiden smiled wider, and pulled out a chair for the girl to sit down.

Alyssa sighed, uncomfortable with everyone staring at them. She sat down, catching Acheron's eyes, unable to tell through his sunglasses whether he was going to keep her secret or not.

Simi leaned forward, not hiding the fact that she is sniffing the girl. "You smells funny. What is you?"

Alyssa's eyes widened as she stared at Simi, suddenly remembering that the boy had said that she was Acheron's daughter. Of course she would be able to sense that she wasn't fully human. She shifted, uncomfortable, on her chair, ready to bolt at the first opportunity.

Jaiden tilted his head confused, "She is human Simi. Isn't she Acheron?"

Acheron sighed not bothering to comment as Simi screwed up her face, "No, she is demon. Simi smells demon on her."

Jaiden looked at Simi with a confused look on his face, "Are you sure she hasn't just been around demons?"

Alyssa let out a very loud, inhuman, growl that sent the humans around them ducking for cover. She hated when anyone talked about her as if she wasn't even there. She could feel her skin boiling, her wings, horns, and tail sprouting as her skin started flashing from the paleness of her human side to the red of her demon. Her fangs lowered, causing her to talk with a lisp, ignoring the sounds of screams from around her. She knew she had just caused the Peltiers to have to work to control the situation with the humans, but she didn't care at the moment. She was struggling to get her demon side back under control. "I knew this was a bad idea."

Acheron grabbed Jaiden and dragged him out before he could see what was going on, "Tori, take him home. Simi, come with me." They went back inside.

Jaiden looked at Tori with wide eyes, "Tori, what's going on? Is she okay?"

Acheron ran over to Alyssa and grabbed her shoulders, pinning her against the wall, "Alyssa, take a couple deep breaths."

Alyssa stared at Acheron, panting, her eyes flashing from their normal blue to red to black and back again. She concentrated as hard as she could and took a couple of deep, shaky, breaths, slowly getting herself under control. She felt a few bloody tears slide down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Ash. I should have known better than to think I could try to play human. Why did your little brother want me to come back in here? How do you have a human brother, anyway?"

Acheron sighed, "It's okay. I got my brother out before he saw you. Why he wanted you back, I have no clue, but he must have had a good reason."

Outside Jaiden is worried and looked up at Tori, "What is going on, why did Acheron kick me out?"

Tori opened her mouth to speak, then shakes her head, "I don't know Jaiden."

Alyssa sighed, taking a few more deep breaths as she calmed down and finally managed to gain control. "I don't understand why humans choose to be around beings like us. Sanctuary is no place for you to bring a human like your little brother, Ash." She growled, still feeling out of sorts. "I should go find someone to feed from. Maybe that will help. Will you apologize to your brother for my disappearance?"

Acheron nodded and released her, "I'll do that. I'm sure he will be disappointed, but he will live."

Alyssa nodded, debating whether to ask Acheron if he thought she might see his brother again some day, but deciding it would be best if she kept her mouth shut. His brother was a human. She was mostly demon. It wasn't good for her to want to see him again. She sighed, looking around to make sure the Weres had the humans occupied before flashing out to search for a demon or some other being to feed from, knowing that Acheron wouldn't allow her to feed from a human.


	6. Chapter 6

Jaiden watches Tori for a moment, making sure she's not paying attention to him, before he sneaks away to go make sure the girl is okay.

Alyssa flashes herself back into the alley that ran along the side of Sanctuary, looking around as her form flashes from human to demon and back. She lifts her head, sniffing the air, trying to catch the scent of a demon she can feed from. Instead, she's immediately assaulted by the scent of human. She closes her eyes, praying to the gods that Acheron's attention is distracted by his family, flashing herself to the scent.

Jaiden slips outside and goes looking for Alyssa, using his powers to locate her powers. He starts making his way toward them.

Alyssa opens her eyes to find herself in another alley. A young, human, male was stooped down and tying his shoe. She didn't hesitate, her need to feed overwhelming everything else, including the knowledge that Acheron will kill her for taking human life. She grabs the man, dragging him deeper into the alley and pinning him against the wall of the building. She licks his neck, sinking her fangs deep into his neck.

Jaiden walks around the corner, into the alley, and finds Alyssa with her fangs deep in the neck of a human. He stares in shock, at first, and then looks away sheepishly.

Alyssa drinks for a couple of minutes, feeling the male getting weaker, before shoving her fist into his chest and ripping out his heart. She grins as he collapses at her feet, not noticing Jaiden, slowly leaning against the wall and eating the heart, feeling better than she had in a long time.

Jaiden hesitantly walks toward her, asking, "Is that good?"

Alyssa growls, narrowing her eyes and preparing to attack... until she realizes who it is. She changes completely back into her human form, sighing, blood on her lips as she mumbles, "I guess the cat's out of the bag now."

Jaiden smiles a little. "Yeah, um..." He blushes a little and takes another step closer to Alyssa and the body. "I've always wondered what it was like hunting and feeding from humans."

Alyssa slowly licks the blood off her fingers and lips, not bothering to hide her confusion. "You want to know what it's like to hunt your own kind?"

Jaiden blinks and smiles wide, chuckling as he closes the distance between them even more. "Um... I am not human."

Alyssa's bright blue eyes widen slightly. "You're not? But Acheron hid me from you when I changed form in Sanctuary. I just assumed..." She shakes her head. "That Atlantean wants to keep me confused, I swear. He never tells me anything I need to know."

Jaiden smiles sheepishly. "He was trying to get me away from prying eyes. He does that when things get hairy." He kneels down beside the body.

Alyssa gasps under her breath, feeling her heart clench as his words make her think of her own brother, Thorn. "It's good that you have someone to look out for you." She sighs. "Are you going to tell your brother about this?"

Jaiden shrugs. "Why should I? You need it, right?" He grins up at her.

Alyssa tilts her head in confusion. "Are you not aware of your brother's strict 'no human' rule?"

Jaiden shrugs. "I am aware, but he isn't here, right? So don't worry about it." He leans forward and dips his finger into the hole she made when she ripped out the man's heart. He pulls it out, covered in blood, and puts it in his mouth. He stifles a moan. "Mmmm..."

Alyssa watches him, stopping him from taking any more. "You don't want it now. Fresh is better. If you eat too much of his blood now, it'll only make you sick." She realizes she's holding his hand and quickly lets go, looking around. "I should go. Your brother's probably looking for you. He won't be happy to find you with me."

Jaiden pouts. "Could you take me hunting please? I want to try it fresh. Please. My brother doesn't even know I have slipped away yet." He gives her a pleading look.

Alyssa sighs, looking into his eyes. "I'm not the best teacher. I don't know how to control my powers yet, and your brother won't teach me."

Jaiden thought quickly. "Then let me come with you on a hunt. Please?" He looks around then turns back to her with excitement in his dreamy light blue eyes.

Alyssa bites her lower lip, leaning a little closer to him as she looks into his eyes. "I don't know how to hunt. I was lucky to find this one."

Jaiden takes a deep breath and steps closer so they are only inches apart. "Well... maybe we can teach each other?" he suggested. His heartbeat picks up as he struggles to hide the fact that he is getting hard.

Alyssa doesn't look away from his eyes as she considers, not able to figure out why she feels drawn to him. "How do you suggest we do that?"

Jaiden thinks quickly. "I have powers... and I have overheard Xirena telling Xedrix about a hunt once. She basically prostitutes them in and feeds on them during sex. It's not the most appealing option, but we don't have to get into it. We can just lure him in and kill him." He realizes he is talking fast and blushes.

Alyssa studies him. "I have three questions. What powers do you have? Who are Xirena and Xedrix? And how should we lure him in?"

Jaiden shrugs. "I don't know all my powers, but I CAN attract people easily... and Xi and Xed are Charonte demons."

Alyssa frowns, shaking her head. "Charonte demons. I don't know what those are." She looks around. "I know this world, the human one... well, Baton Rouge, but that's close enough to New Orleans. I know nothing about whatever I am now!" She screams in frustration, punching the wall and sending down a shower of bricks, her skin marbling red and black.

Jaiden watches her nervously. "We are in New Orleans," he mumbles.

Alyssa stares at him, her eyes flashing from red to black to blue. "I know WHERE I am. I had to come here, because my brother has a picture of this city on one of the walls in his castle. I didn't know how to get back to Baton Rouge. I don't know WHAT I am or how to figure out all this stuff I can do!"

Jaiden shrinks back nervously, crouching low and praying to anyone that would listen that Alyssa wouldn't kill him.

Just as quickly as Alyssa's anger came, it left, leaving her curled up in a tight ball on the ground, sobbing with grief over both her lost brother and her lost identity.


	7. Chapter 7

Jaiden watches Alyssa for a minute, unsure of what to do. Then he kneels down beside her and rubs her arm gently. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Without thinking about it, Alyssa moves and curls up on Jaiden's lap. She buries her face in his chest, still sobbing. "Can y-you bring my brother b-ack to me?"

Jaiden blinks, shaking his head. He's a little nervous as he wraps his arms around her. "Um... I don't know who your brother is or even what power I would need to bring him back." He rubs her back gently.

"Her brother is Thorn," Ash suddenly speaks from right behind them.

Jaiden looks up at Ash, not making any attempt to move. "Who is Thorn?" He watches Ash, holding Alyssa still.

Alyssa stiffens up in fear at the sound of Ash's voice, her voice muffled against Jaiden's chest. "He was the leader of the HellChasers, ruler of the realm of Azmodea."

Jaiden nods. "Okay." He discreetly flashes away the body, hoping Ash didn't see it already. He leans down and kisses her head. "I'm sorry you lost your brother. Maybe I can help you find him."

Alyssa cries harder at Jaiden's words.

Ash sighs. "There's no finding Thorn. He's dead."

Jaiden looks at Ash. "Are you sure? Maybe there is a way to get him back?"

Ash shakes his head. "It might be possible if anyone knew what happened to him. No one does. The one who might was killed when she was ripped out of Alyssa." He looks down at Alyssa, his eyes softening behind his sunglasses. "What are you doing here, Alyssa? Why didn't you stay in Azmodea?"

Alyssa doesn't look up. "I couldn't stay there alone any more. I had to get out. It's full of him, and I couldn't stand it."

Jaiden holds her close. "Who was ripped out of her?" He looks from one to the other, confused.

Ash sighs. "We need to get her out of this alley. Then I'll try to explain."

Jaiden blinks and flashes them all home. "Who was ripped out of her?"

Ash reaches out and takes Alyssa from Jaiden, putting her into a deep sleep as he carries her into the spare bedroom and lays her on the bed. He looks down at her as he answers. "Have you ever heard of a demon by the name of Lamashtu?"

Jaiden raises an eyebrow. "Nope. I am new to this whole thing, remember?" He sighs.

"Even humans have heard of Lamashtu. She is the thing in most of their nightmares. She feared nothing and no one, and lived for devouring babies right in front of their mothers." Ash glanced back toward Alyssa, who was in a dreamless sleep.

Jaiden shakes his head. "Nice. So is that who was inside her, and remember I was kept in isolation. So I don't know as much as most humans."

"It is," Ash confirmed. "Thorn found her living on the streets of Baton Rouge and took her to his home in Azmodea. She had been beaten to near death, and he used some of his own blood to help her heal. He also promised to make her one of his Hell Chasers. That requires a contract with a demon who joins itself with the Hell Chaser to give the Hell Chaser more power. Lamashtu made a deal with Noir to be brought back from Tartarus, and they tricked Thorn. Somehow they killed him, and Lamashtu joined with Alyssa when she became a Hell Chaser. With Thorn gone, no one could stop her."

Jaiden watches Ash nervously. "Is it still inside her now?"

Ash shakes his head. "No. Lamashtu's daughter owed me a favor. She made a potion that pulled her mother from Alyssa and gave Alyssa other powers that are completely her own now. Lamashtu is back in Tartarus where she belongs."

Jaiden smiles. "That's good. So what are we going to do about her?"

Ash sighs. "I know you've gotten attached, but I have to take her to Katoteros. She took human life. She's got to be punished."

Jaiden's eyes fill with tears as he shakes his head, his mind filling with the horrible memories of his human parents beating him and hurting him in other places. He screams, "No! No, Ash, PLEASE!" He falls to his knees, shaking and sobbing, holding his head.

Ash reaches out and pulls Jaiden to his feet. "Go stay with Tori. I'll bring Alyssa back here after."

Without even thinking, Jaiden wraps his arms around Acheron's waist. "Please don't do this, Ash! It's her instinct. She doesn't know any better!" Please!" he pleads.

Ash growls, unwrapping Jaiden's arms from around him. "She has to learn, Jaiden." He flashes his brother to Tori before picking Alyssa's unconscious body up and taking her to Katoteros, blocking Jaiden from being able to follow.

Jaiden collapses in a heap, unable to will his body to move.

Simi gasps and scoops him up as she and Tori shoot each other nervous glances.

Ash sighs as he chains Alyssa to a wall in one of his lower rooms, leaving her there, waiting for her to get really hungry.

Jaiden whimpers as Simi lays him on the couch. "Why is Din Din so whiny, Tori?"

Tori shakes her head. "I don't know, Simi. Let me call Ash." She grabs the phone and dials Acheron's cell.

Ash releases Alyssa from the deep sleep he had put her in as he pulls out his cell phone and answers. "Is something wrong, Tori?"

Tori sighs. "What happened between you and Din?"

"He's upset, because I'm having to discipline Alyssa."

Tori sighs. "Okay. What do you want us to do with him? He looks sick." She turns to look at Simi and nods. "Simi wants to know if you want her help."

Ash stares at the young girl as she wakes up and nods. "Send Simi here. Maybe she can help. As for Jaiden, I have no idea. He's been strange since knocking Alyssa over inside Sanctuary. You know I can't see anyone's future if it's tied to my own. Just do the best you can with him."

Tori sighs and nods to Simi who flashes to Katoteros. "Okay, Ash. I will see what I can do."

Ash hang up the phone and approaches Alyssa. "How are you feeling?" The room they were in should have drained whatever she had taken from the human and made her hungry again. He slips a collar around her neck so that she can't change out of her human form.

Alyssa lets out a scream, twisting against the chains that holds her captive. She narrows her eyes up at Ash. "Let me go!"

Jaiden lays on the couch where Simi left him, not bothering to open his eyes or move. He was angry and confused, and worst of all: He wanted to stop Ash from whatever he was going to do to that girl... the one he was strangely drawn to... Alyssa.

Tori comes over and sits beside him. "Jaiden, sweetie, what's wrong?"

Ash sighs and shakes his head. "I can't do that, Alyssa. You took human life. If I can't show you that you can't do that, I'll have to kill you." He threw up his arm, turning the wall across from her into a display that showed the man's life from the time he had been born up until she had killed him. He had been an innocent man, one who had gone out of his way to help anyone in need.

Tears burn Alyssa's eyes as she watches the images, unable to look away thanks to Ash's powers keeping her prisoner. She starts sobbing, screaming in anguish.

Jaiden turns away from Tori and growls, flashing out into the street and running off, about to do the craziest stunt he had ever pulled: hunting a human.


	8. Chapter 8

Jaiden feels butterflies in his stomach as he walks into the large goth-style club that was located on the edge of New Orleans. He looks around, knowing that his fangs will help him blend in best with this crowd as he searches for his first victim. There was a part of him wondering at the same time if this was a bad idea.

Alyssa's entire body trembled as the life of the man she had killed played repeatedly on the wall across from her. Before she had a chance to even start to recover, Ash changed the images to show the lives of the other two humans she had killed since leaving Azmodea. Alyssa screamed as the memories of the three humans burned themselves into her brain.

Jaiden looks around and is soon approached by a young man.

"Hey, kiddo. You lost?" the man asks.

Jaiden nods shyly.

The man's face brightens. "No problem. Why don't I show ya to my private room out back?"

Jaiden nods excitedly. As they head out behind the club, Jaiden can't help but look over his shoulder. He kept waiting for Ash to appear and kick his ass for what he was doing.

Alyssa's knees buckle, physically unable to take any more. Sweat and tears mixed on her cheeks and in her hair.

Ash sighed. "Simi, blindfold a human and bring them here. We need to find out if this worked or not."

Back in the goth club, the young man leads Jaiden to a large room in the far back of the club, immediately locking the door behind them.

"What are you doing?" Jaiden asked, suddenly worried that he may have picked the wrong person.

The man laughs a little as he pins Jaiden to the wall. "I'm gonna fuck your brains out, kid," he promised.

Jaiden squirms as the young man roughly grabs his cock through his pants. As the young man does so, he exposes his neck and Jaiden takes his opportunity. He leans his head down to kiss the man's neck gently, causing the young man to moan. Jaiden smiles wickedly as the young man releases him enough to allow him to move. He gently slides his fangs into the side of the young man's neck and drains him.

Alyssa falls into a heap on the floor as she is released from the chains. She immediately curls up, covering her head with her arms and trying to block out the memories of the three people she had killed. She stiffens a few moments later when she senses a human in the room with her.

Ash nodded to Simi, leading her out of the room before removing the blindfold from the human male Simi had brought in. He made the room appear like an alley in New Orleans and waited to see what would happen, knowing Alyssa was hungrier and weaker than she had ever been before.

Jaiden quickly lays the body down to make it look like he's sleeping. He unlocks the door and flashes home to his room, praying Ash doesn't figure out what he's done as he flashes away any trace of his kill from his skin and clothes.

"Hey, are you okay?" the man asks as he steps over to Alyssa. He kneels beside her and puts a cautious hand on her shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

Alyssa stiffens at the man's touch, everything in her screaming for her to feed. She was trembling with her need, barely keeping herself from turning and sinking her fangs deep into the man's neck. "Please," she begs him. "Go away. Leave me alone."

Jaiden tenses up and then flops onto his bed with a sigh. "That wasn't so hard."

The man squeezes Alyssa's shoulder gently, turning her over to face him. "Something's wrong," he insisted. "I just want to help you. You can trust me." He pulls her into his arms, holding her face against his neck.

Alyssa growls as the man's scent overwhelms her, the pulse running through the vein in his neck pushing against her cheek. She parts her lips to sink her fangs in deep before growling again and shoving back away from him. "Leave me alone!"

Ash nodded his approval, flashing the man back to where he came from and erasing the memories of the event from his mind. He sent Alyssa back to Jaiden's room before appearing next to Tori with a drawn out sigh.

Alyssa appeared on Jaiden's bed, curled up and shaking, tears streaming down her face. She could barely think past the immense hunger she was experiencing, unable to focus on anything.

Jaiden grimaces, pulling her close. "Are you okay?"

With the block removed since she is no longer in Katoteros, Alyssa shifts into her demon form, growling, too far gone to be able to form coherent thought, much less have the ability to speak.

Jaiden calmly grabs her arm. "Alyssa, what's wrong? What happened? Are you okay?"

Alyssa stares up at him, no understanding in her eyes.

Simi skips into the room. "The Alyssa-Demon needs eats. Akri makes her reals hungry, Din-Din."

Jaiden grins. "Aly, feed from me."

Alyssa writhes on the bed, growling and snapping.

"She too far gone, Din-Din. She not knows what you says." Simi bounces over to his dresser and picks up a bottle that was sitting on top. "Is Alyssa-Demon gonna lives here now, too?"

Jaiden shrugs. "I don't know, Simi." He slowly slits his neck, causing his blood to flow. "Alyssa, here. Feed." He grabs her head and forces it to his neck.

Alyssa growls as the blood overwhelms her senses. Her arms wrap around the source of the blood, and she sinks her fangs in deep. Her growls slowly quiet down, and her shaking eases up, as she feeds.

Jaiden moans and wraps his arms around her, smiling a little and doing his best to stay conscious as she drains more from him than he's used to.

Simi sighs and goes to the bed, pulling the two of them apart and putting them both into a deep sleep. "You both feels better when you wakes up. Simi promises."


	9. Chapter 9

Alyssa groans softly as she starts waking up. Her entire body felt as if it had gone several rounds with some heavyweight champion or something. She slowly opens her eyes, quickly shutting them again, the light in the room too bright for her overly sensitive eyes.

Jaiden moans, rolling over. His body and mind refusing to want to wake up.

Alyssa's eyes snap open again at the sound, her head turning toward it. She gasped, recognizing the one she was in bed with. It was Acheron's little brother. "Fuck!" she exclaims. She forces herself to sit up, moving to get off the bed. She was in so much trouble.

Jaiden hears her gasp and slowly opens his pale blue eyes. He looks around. "Alyssa?"

Alyssa cringes, continuing to try to creep toward the door without him noticing her. She didn't trust herself to flash away without knowing where she was. She had to get to a place where she was a little more familiar.

Jaiden turns over, the wound on his neck clearly visible, and spots her. "Where are you going?"

Alyssa freezes with her hand on the doorknob, closing her eyes and whispering. "I shouldn't be here." She opens her eyes and turns around slowly, spotting the wound on his neck and cringing. "What happened to you?" She dreads hearing the answer, fearing she already knows.

Jaiden narrows his eyes in confusion, reaching up and touching his neck. He winces. "Oh. It's nothing." He refuses to meet her gaze. "Please don't leave."

Alyssa sniffs the air, the demon part of her sensing dishonesty but unsure what about. She shakes her head. "You're either lying about your wound or about wanting me to stay. Whichever it is doesn't matter. I can't stay here. Acheron will see that and blame me whether I am the cause or not. He does not like me. He won't like me spending time with his little brother. I have to go."

Jaiden quickly flashes himself between her and the door. "Wait. Please." He sighs. "I offered myself to you. You were in terrible shape when you came back here and needed to feed. I cut my neck so you would feed from me." He grins sheepishly, chewing his lower lip.

Alyssa studies him carefully, her head tilting to one side. "Why would you do that?" She looks around cautiously, hiding the fact that she still needs to feed. "How did I get here, wherever here is?"

Jaiden blushes a little, looking away. "You're in my room, and I did it because you needed it." He chuckles a little.

Alyssa's eyes widen, terrified. "Your room? Acheron is going to kill me!" She moves to push past him. "I have to get out of here!"

Jaiden pulls her into his arms. "Alyssa, he put you in here with me." He holds her close, not letting her pull away.

Alyssa tilts her face up toward his, searching his eyes. "Why would he do that? He hates me. Why would he want me near his little brother?"

Jaiden smiles a little. "Maybe he thinks my good heart will rub off on you or something." He blushes a little, wincing as his neck starts to throb.

Alyssa shakes her head. "No, that's not it. He doesn't like me, so he wouldn't care if your good heart rubs off on me or not." She sighs. "He told me Lamashtu was gone and then left me all alone to fend for myself, not even telling me what powers I have or how to use them." She growls, pulling away and pacing the floor. "I can do all these different things, but I have no control!" A wind picks up around her, blowing her hair around and pushing Jaiden back toward his door, as she paces. Lightning flashes just under the ceiling.

Jaiden whimpers as his neck throbs harder. He didn't want to leave, but he was getting scared. "Alyssa, my brother doesn't really like anyone except family. Please. Stop what you're doing."

Alyssa's eyes are tearful as she turns toward Jaiden, her voice soft. "I don't know how." Rain starts to pour down, soaking both of them.

Jaiden instantly uses his powers to make hers stop, putting his hands over his ears and shaking hard as he tries to blot out the voices that always come when he uses his powers.

Alyssa stumbles slightly as her powers stop working. She notices Jaiden's pain and pulls him over to the bed, sitting down with him on her lap. Without thinking, acting on instinct, she starts stroking his hair and humming. She rocks gently, trying to calm him down.

Jaiden grimaces, doing his best not to freak out as he reminds himself that she doesn't know anything about his past. He shivers as she hums, surprised to feel an emotion stirring inside of him that normally remains dormant unless he has taken something.

Alyssa threads her fingers in his hair, pulling him a little closer as he starts shivering. She leans over slightly, laying her cheek against the top of his head. She stops humming and whispers, "Are you okay, Jaiden?"

Jaiden does his best to be discreet as he looks down. Sure enough, he was right. That particular emotion was no longer dormant. He was hard. He blushes, curling up tighter on her lap, hoping she wouldn't be able to tell. "Um, I'll be fine. I just need to relax."

Alyssa nods, her cheek rubbing against the top of his head. She moves her hand from his hair and starts rubbing his back, hoping to help him relax, trying to ignore her heart as it started picking up speed. She hadn't had any interest in a guy since before Thorn had found her. She didn't quite understand why her heart was reacting to the one on her lap, but she didn't plan on letting it have its way.

Jaiden leans forward, a small moan escaping his lips at how amazing her massage feels. He lets himself relax, rolling his eyes and barely resisting the urge to growl as his cock gets even harder.

Alyssa takes a deep breath, shifting just slightly to try to discreetly put a little space between the two of them while still comforting him. A foreign part of her wanted to slip her hand up the back of his shirt and find out if his skin was really as smooth as it looks. She shivers slightly, trying to keep herself under control.

Ash let himself into the room, crossing his arms at the sight of the two of them on the bed with each other. He narrows his eyes slightly. "Tori's got dinner ready. I suggest the two of you get downstairs if you expect Simi to leave you any."


	10. Chapter 10

Alyssa looks up at Acheron, not moving her arms from around Jaiden or her cheek from resting on top of his head. "Your brother isn't feeling too good, Acheron. We'll be down later."

Acheron nods his head, turning and walking out of the room. He shakes his head as he walks back down the stairs. He was already having difficulty seeing Alyssa's future, telling him that she was going to be becoming close to him soon since the future of anyone linked to him was blocked from him. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea or not, but he had to trust that her and Jaiden knew what they were doing.

Jaiden starts shaking hard, needing relief. He looks up at Alyssa, knowing he should leave and go find some other way to take care of things but finding that he didn't want to leave her. He licks his lips, opening his mouth to tell her to go... to leave just like she had wanted to a few minutes before... but he couldn't find the words. They stuck in his throat and refused to come out.

"Jaiden?" Alyssa inquires. She gently brushed her fingers through the hair at his temple, tucking it behind his ear. She could feel his erection, knowing that probably had a lot to do with whatever was bothering him, but she wasn't sure how to ask him about it. She looks into his blue eyes, her dark ones full of concern. "What's wrong? Talk to me... maybe I can help you."

Jaiden looks at Alyssa and then quickly looks away. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it." He tries to move away, afraid of what she would think if she discovered the truth about his past, about how his 'parents' had treated him. He didn't want her to think any less of him than she obviously already did. "I'll be fine," he insisted. He kept moving his erection away from her, hoping to keep her from noticing it.

Alyssa sighs, pulling Jaiden back against her. She gently ran her hand across his shoulders, down his back, over his hips, letting it come to rest on his erection. She looks into his eyes, smiling softly. "You're not fine, Jaiden. You're in pain. Let me help you." She ignores her automatic instinct to shove him away from her and fight against any physical contact, trying to keep in mind that he was unlike any other male she had ever encountered. He had yet to strike her or force her to do anything.

Jaiden resists the urge to whimper as Alyssa's fingers touch his erection, squirming a little as she begins to rub it. "N-n-..." He sighs in defeat, hanging his head and hoping that his training kicks in as it should to give her whatever pleasure she was looking for. "You can if you want to."

Alyssa used her other hand to tip Jaiden's head back, her eyes searching his. She stops rubbing his erection but doesn't move her hand. "No, Jaiden. I'm not doing this for me. I know how painful it is for most males to be like this and not have it relieved. I was only looking to help you." She sighs and gently pushes him off of her lap and onto his bed, standing to her feet. "If you don't want my help, that's your choice. I'll leave you alone to handle it however you want." She heads for the door.

Jaiden sighs and flashes her back onto the bed. "No, wait. Look. I am sorry. I... I want help, but I am kind of scared, too." He slides closer to her, reaching out and gently trailing his fingertips lightly up and down the arm closest to him. "Most people are not very nice to me when they do this with me."

Alyssa laughs softly and bitterly, closing her eyes. His light touch felt wonderful and was sending shivers of delight up and down her spine. Without looking at him, she whispers, "If you are nice to me while we're doing this, you will be the first one who ever has been."

Jaiden sighs, not bothering to say anything as he smiles a little. This time, as his fingertips stroke up the inside of her arm, he kept going. He skims them lightly across the top of her chest, by her collarbone, and down the other arm before pulling her closer.

Alyssa shivers in pleasure, turning toward him and licking her lips. She looks into his eyes again, hers completely open but hoping that doesn't allow him to see her past. She keeps her voice to a soft whisper. "What do you want, Jaiden? Do you want to kiss me? Feed from me? Fuck me? Or maybe all three?"

Jaiden grins and leans in to kiss her gently, barely holding back a moan at how good it was feeling to actually want to kiss and touch someone who didn't already have their hands all over him. He could feel that she was being completely open and willing with him, allowing him to do absolutely anything he desired, and it was sparking hotter fires within him than he had ever felt before. He slowly gives in to his instinct and gently lays her back, finally giving in and moaning as he straddles her.

Alyssa arches up, her reaction to him surprising her but willing to go with it for the first time ever. She looks deep into his eyes, licking her lips and letting out a soft moan of her own as she feels him on top of her. She reaches up and lightly rubs her hands down his back and over his hips, loving the feel of his muscles rippling under his clothes and she turns her head slightly to give him access to her neck if he wants it.

Jaiden smiles as he leans in to kiss her neck gently, sliding his hands up under her shirt and over her stomach. As his hands brush across her bra-clad breasts, he lets out a little louder moan. He lets his teeth scrape lightly over the skin of her neck as he begins to massage her breasts, playing with her nipples through the fabric of her bra.

Alyssa moans softly, gripping the bottom of his shirt and slowly pulling it up and over his head before tossing it to the floor. She rubs her hands down his back, lightly scratching his skin with her fingernails as her nipples harden into peaks under her bra. "Oh, Jaiden..."

Jaiden slides her shirt off over her head and reaches behind her to unhook her bra. He slides it off her arms and tosses them both into the floor as he moans at the sight of her now naked breasts. He leans back in to kiss a trail from her neck, down her collarbone to her puckered nipple, gently taking it into his mouth with a loud moan.

Alyssa's back arches up, her fingers tangling in Jaiden's hair as he tastes her nipple. "Mmm... That feels so good, Jaiden." She leans up slightly to kiss along the top of his shoulder and the side of his neck, moaning at how good his skin tastes.

Jaiden moans again, sucking her nipple a little harder as he rubs his hands over her stomach. He grabs the waistline of her pants and begins to unfasten them, pausing briefly to see if she will stop him from going further or not.

Alyssa moans softly, moving her hands to cover his and help him unfasten her pants. "I said anything you want, Jaiden, and I meant that. If you really want me, I am all yours."

Jaiden smiles wide as he slowly slides her pants and panties off, tossing them both aside as he tries to unfasten his own with his shaking hands. After a few moments, he growls in frustration and uses his powers to flash them away instead. He blushes slightly as he looks down at her, pressing his hips against hers.

Alyssa moans, bracing her feet on the bed for leverage as she presses her hips up against his. She rubs her hands down his back and over his hips, reaching between them to take his cock in her hand and stroke it gently. She licks her lips as he starts getting harder, already imagining how he will feel inside of her.

Jaiden growls and grinds his hips against hers slowly as he slides his cock inside of her and then back out, moaning as his eyes roll back in his head. "Mmm..." He keeps thrusting with long, slow strokes.

Alyssa gasps, arching up and pulling him in even deeper. "Oh, Jaiden... You feel so good..."

Jaiden keeps thrusting, picking up speed as he moans. His body gets hot almost immediately, and he gasps a little. He had never felt this way before in his life. Without thinking about it, he leans down and licks her neck before sinking his fangs in deep.

Alyssa lets out a gasp of pleasure, feeling her walls tightening around his shaft as she almost cums. She wraps her arms tighter around him, closing her eyes and sinking her fangs into the top of his shoulder, acting on instinct.

Jaiden gasps as he thrusts harder. He moans louder as he drinks deeper, his body getting even hotter as it prepares to cum. As if listening to someone else, he slowly becomes aware of her heart beat matching itself to his... of his breathing becoming one with hers. He becomes aware of her thoughts, her memories, crying out in release as he cums without warning.

Alyssa screams in pleasure against his shoulder, holding him tighter as her body's systems and his align themselves perfectly. She rocks against him as he cums, his release and the taste of his blood sending her into her own orgasm as his memories play for her.


	11. Chapter 11

Jaiden gasps as he realizes that he is seeing all of Alyssa's memories and figures out that she is seeing his at the same time. His heart clenches at most of the things she's been through, not failing to realize how similar their pasts are. As soon as her most recent memory finishes playing, he collapses beside her, mentally and physically exhausted. He closes his eyes and falls asleep almost immediately.

Alyssa feels tears brimming in her eyes as she watches the horrors from Jaiden's past, not knowing that he is seeing hers as well. Her heart races at how closely related his past is to hers. It was no wonder that he seemed to know her so well... He had been through a lot of the same things that she had. As the memories come to an end, and she feels him collapse beside her, she turns onto her side, curling up against him and falling asleep moments after he does.

Jaiden slowly forces his eyes open hours later and smiles when he sees that Alyssa is still there with him. He moves closer to her and dips his head down to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Thank you for staying," he whispers.

"Where else would I go?" Alyssa whispers back. She smiles up at him, taking both of his hands and resting one on his own heart and the other on hers. "I think my place has been chosen."

Jaiden smiles wider, his eyes misting over as he realizes that the Fates were kind enough to put the two of them together, trying hard not to cry. He had been thinking that he would always be alone, that no one would ever want him.

Alyssa studies him carefully. "Are you okay, Jaiden?"

Jaiden gulps hard, smiling and nodding. "Yes. I'll be fine."

Alyssa reaches out and gently cups his face in her hands, her eyes searching his. "Are you sure?"

Jaiden smiles sadly and nods his head. "Yes. I'll be fine, Alyssa. I promise."

Alyssa studies his eyes for a few moments more, kissing him softly before resting her head on his shoulder. "This is a good thing, right? You're not upset about the two of us being mates, are you?" I bite my lip nervously, afraid of hearing your answer.

Jaiden gasps a little. "No! I am just... happy, very happy that I have been so blessed to have a mate." He beams and turns his head to kiss her cheek.

Alyssa blushes. "I don't want to disappoint you, Jaiden. You deserve so much more, so much better than someone like me."

Jaiden smiles wide and kisses her forehead. "I think that's why the Fates have brought us together, Alyssa. We have such similar backgrounds. It helps us understand each other better."

Alyssa sighs softly. "I wish I could erase your past, Jai." She wraps her arms around him and holds him close.

Jaiden sighs. "I wish I could do the same for you, but the best we can do right now is to help each other to overcome the past and have a better future... together." He smiles fondly and runs his fingers through her hair.

Alyssa nods, running her fingertips idly over his chest. "This isn't going to get you in trouble with your family, is it? Your brother doesn't like me."

Jaiden chuckles. "My brother doesn't really like anyone, Alyssa. He is a sullen and jaded man, but he will come around." He kisses her cheek, still running his fingers through her hair.

Alyssa nods slowly, resting her head on his shoulder. She sighs thoughtfully. "When do you think we should tell him?" I sit up in shock as someone knocks on the bedroom door.

"Din? It's Tori. Can I come in?"

Jaiden grins. "Sure. Come on in if you'd like, Tori." He immediately flashes their clothes on them, not wanting Tori to see what they had been doing.

Tori opens the door and steps into the room, the powers she had picked up from the blood exchange with Apollymi spiking as she senses something. Her eyes narrow slightly as she studies the two teenagers on the bed. "Ash and I thought the two of you might be hungry. I managed to keep Simi from eating all of the food."

Alyssa blushes under the scrutiny of the woman who had come into the room, burying her face in Jaiden's chest. She wasn't sure what to say.

Jaiden grins, nodding. "Good. I'm starving. What about you, Alyssa?"

Alyssa nods against Jaiden's chest, sitting up with a sigh. "I'm starving."

Tori laughs and grabs Alyssa by the hand. "Then come on! Before Simi decides you're taking too long and eats the rest of the food!" She pulls Alyssa from the room and down the stairs, smiling over at Ash and Simi.

Jaiden follows wordlessly, beaming from ear to ear as he takes his place next to Simi at the table. He pulls over a seat and pats it gently. "Here, Alyssa. You can sit right here."

Alyssa smiles shyly and sits down, keeping her eyes averted from everyone.

Simi bounces in her seat. "Ooo! Din-Din happy! YAY! What has Din so happy?"

"That's a very good question, Simi," Ash comments from his position at the head of the table. He rests his elbows on the empty area of the table in front of him, never eating food, steepling his fingertips together as he studies the two teenagers. "There's something different about both of you."

Jaiden beams from ear to ear. He holds Alyssa's hand under the table as he takes a deep breath, quickly saying, "We're mated!" He chuckles sheepishly as his whole face lights up, looking around at his family to see their reactions.


End file.
